Nets hope to ride O’Neale’s hot hand again

Royce O’Neale has risen from key reserve to vital scorer this week, thanks in part to the Brooklyn Nets’ ongoing carousel of injured regulars and mostly due to his own uncanny dead-eye shooting.

The 30-year-old power forward will look to continue his recent mastery from beyond the arc and help the Nets grab their season-high fourth straight win Thursday night when they host the struggling Charlotte Hornets at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Though it was denied a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament Tuesday due to a point-differential tiebreaker with Group C East stage-winner Boston, Brooklyn (9-8) still rolled to a 115-103 victory over Toronto behind O’Neale’s uncanny touch in the clutch.

The 6-foot-6 Baylor alum drained a career high-tying six 3-pointers for the second straight game, four of which came in the fourth quarter when the Nets needed them most.

With injured regulars Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons and Dennis Smith Jr. sidelined, O’Neale once again provided a long-range boost for Brooklyn.

He drained a trio of 28-foot 3-pointers within a minute span of the final period to give the Nets a 94-89 lead and connected again from 23 feet out with just under two minutes left to create a 106-100 cushion.

“Without a doubt, the right time,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said of O’Neale’s aerial display. “He just continues to do it and continues to be an unbelievable teammate.”

Having hit six 3-pointers on only one previous occasion in his six previous NBA seasons, O’Neale has remained modest about his recent shooting surge.

“Being in the gym, keep shooting,” he said of his 12-for-22 performance on 3-pointers the past two games.

O’Neale went 7-for-11 overall and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in Sunday’s 118-109 win over the…